In this course, we will explore the cultural legacy and future of the
maximum security prison in the United States, Plotting its representation
through both social science research and popular culture. First, we will
begin with a contemporary assessment of the state of the American prison
system, focusing upon its vast and unprecedented rise into an industrial
complex and the development of a new breed of super maximum/mega security
facilities, all in the face of decreasing crime rates. In order to answer
how this has happened, we will survey selected works by prison
administrators, social scientists, cultural historians and theorists.
Simultaneously, we will also be pursuing and analysis of how the prison
figures in to the cultural imagination of Americans through media
representations (film and television ), cyberspace, prisoner narratives, and
perhaps even discussions/correspondence with former and present prison
inmates. The course is designed to be an intense and innovative treatment
of one of the most hidden, and yet
rapidly developing, institutions in the United States. I invite you to join
me in a deep investigation of what is undoubtedly one of the most crucial
phenomenon facing criminal justice and American society today.
Course requirements:
Midterm Exam 30%
Final Exam 40%
In class writing and participation exercises 30%
Readings: To be announced.
Class Meeting: M 5:45-8:15P, SY001
Instructor: Michelle Brown, Criminal Justice Department